


I See You Behind Those Tired Eyes

by qu33nb33



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Adoption, Child Abuse, Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Gay Character, Gen, M/M, Multi, Trans Character, lgbtqia+ characters, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-18 07:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15480774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qu33nb33/pseuds/qu33nb33
Summary: DuckTales (2017) Oneshots/Drabbles/Plot bunnies that I Shouldn't make into half-finished fics but will probably end up doing so anyways.(Includes gay/trans/etc characters, family bonding, families of choice, mentions of child abuse, and more. Large range in word count. Requests open.)





	1. Donald, The Nephews

Donald’s ears were ringing and his left arm was going numb, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care because, over the sound of rushing water and clanging weapons, he heard Dewey yell, “Hands off our Dad!”


	2. Lena, Webby

“They didn’t want me.”

Lena’s eyes bugged out in surprise. “Your parents didn’t _want_ you?” It really shouldn't have been a surprise to her; Lena knew how that felt. But Webby? Someone didn't want _Webby?_

Webby shrugged, obviously not affected. “They were spies. They chose to keep being spies, and not drag a kid into that.”

Lena wanted to protest, to ask how Webby of all people could think that was so normal, but she realized that it didn’t matter. To Webby that was normal, and maybe to someone else that would seem like a fine reason. Lena couldn’t imagine it, though. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like without her.

“I’m glad we met, Webby.”

“As am I, Britania.”


	3. Lena, Donald, Beakley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's quiet without four ducklings and an old man running about.

They waited.

The crew that went adventuring were supposed to be back two days ago. Webby, Dewey, Louie, Huey, Scrooge, Launchpad… They were supposed to be back.

Webby and Lena were going to have a sleepover. Donald and Scrooge were going to argue about who was going on the family trip to the zoo. The boys had already missed the first half of the Ottoman Empire marathon.

But still, they waited.

Lena sprawled across the couch as she and Beakley stared blankly at the television. Beakley had already cleaned the entire house from top to bottom three different times. Her vacuum cleaner had overheated, which prevented her from doing it a fourth time.

The smells from the kitchen had long since stopped being pleasant. At first Lena had enthusiastically eaten any of the many things Donald had made--spaghetti, pie, cookies, brownies--but now, with a mix of having eaten too much and a mix of way too many different smells, she found herself nauseous and not hungry.

Still, Donald baked. And still, her and Beakley sat.

They hadn’t asked if she had anything better to do than wait. From sunrise to late into the night she stayed, both days. They only nodded and let her inside. And then, at night, they nodded silently as she left.

The quiet was driving her crazy. 

She went to search something--anything--on her phone to distract her, but ended up staring at the empty spot on her wrist. The spot where a bracelet should have been. A deep sense of guilt bubbled up within her and she blinked rapidly as she scowled. 

Beside her, finally, Beakley stood. She looked down at Lena and frowned. “You coming?”

Without hesitation, Lena said, “Absolutely.”

Screw waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im fairly certain that show is called ottoman empire but im too lazy to find out. im sure someone will correct me if im wrong lmao


	4. Lena, Webby

"What, what I mean is, there are some older pictures in like, our family photos and stuff, where I'm not dressed like a girl? And I don't really look like one?" Webby fiddled with her hair and wrapped strands of it around her fingers, nervous. "I just, wanted to tell you in case you saw them."

Lena kicked her legs behind her from where she was sprawled on her stomach on the floor. "'s all good. I was an ugly baby, myself." She laughed at her own joke--she didn't really smile until she was over a year old--and went back to reading from her phone. It was only after she realized Webby hadn't responded that Lena looked up and met her pleading gaze.

"What, did I-- _oh._ " And suddenly the weight of what Webby had said actually hit her, the realization why it was important that Webby told her first. "Oh, you, you looked like a boy. I gotcha." She nodded, awkward and unsure of what to do (magic training didn't prepare her for this in the slightest) but wanting to stay calm. 

"Sorry, it's weird, I just wanted to tell you first--" Webby was cut off by an unexpected hug. Lena  _rarely_ initiated hugs, which made it all the more surprising. She quickly returned it, and happily snuggled up to her sister.

"Naw, it's not weird. I dunno what to say, really. But thank you for telling me." Surely that was somewhere near the right thing to say, right? Being trusted on that level deserved a thank you of some kind, even if it was awkward and stumbled out of her lips like a bent slinky down a flight of stairs.

Webby's voice for once is quiet and soft when she says, "Thank you for listening." And, yeah, Lena's pretty sure she handled the situation well enough.


	5. Dewey, Scrooge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dysphoria / general Trans Angst^tm here but it's not too bad
> 
> idk this has less of a direction than even the other 'shots but i tried

Out of all of them, Dewey looked the most like their mom.

And it wasn't fair.

He wanted to tear out the hair that grew in too quickly. He wanted to deepen his voice, despite not even being old enough for it to be a problem. He wanted to shout his name from every rooftop and airplane. He wanted to carve his name into every tree, write it on everything he owned, shove it down everybody's throats.

When he thinks Scrooge doesn't know his name, it makes him sad. A kind of sadness that makes his belly burn with shame and anger and makes his feet feel like they're dragging. Does Scrooge not know his name now, because he knows his... Old name instead? Did Scrooge think he was insulting Della, parading around with a name she hadn't given him?

Maybe it was some kind of mind game, some kind of trick, a way of saying he  _knew_ Dewey used a different name, but he didn't want to say it. Maybe Scrooge was mean, a bully, not unlike most of the kids he knew. He'd call him lad, sonny, anything that wasn't.. Him.

"Which triplet am I?" He tries to force all of his emotions into it, all of the things he can't bare to ask out loud yet. Maybe one day he can, but not today. Not yet.

Something flashes in Scrooge's eyes, uncertainty, fear, Dewey can't quite place all of it but he knows it's not good.

"Bluey?" 

Part of him almost wants to laugh because sure, it's an attempt. And admittedly he isn't far off. But it sounds like a lie, an attempt, an  _excuse._

He's a little angry and a little bitter for the rest of the trip. But, on the way home, he notices Scrooge is a little closer. On the next adventure, he's a little prouder.

And, maybe, Scrooge didn't mean it the way he took it. But nonetheless, when he found a personal engraved keychain with 'Dewey' on it on his seat on the way home from an adventure months later, Dewey realizes that he was sorry anyways. And finally, finally, that was good enough for him.


	6. Lena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey uhhhh can i just say... I CALLED IT I CALLED IT I CALLED IT I CALL--
> 
> ahem. spoilers for s1 finale i guess

She expected the shadows to feel cold, like a spot that the sun hadn't warmed up yet in the early hours of the morning. Or like a stormy night at her 'home' under the theater. She expected it to be a chill that ran through her bones and made her muscles feel like lead. She expected it to feel like an ice cold fear that tickled her spine and made her feathers stand on end.

She didn't expect it to feel hot, and sticky, and itchy, like the weight of a million sins crawling on her back.


	7. Lena, Webby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay im probably going to re-do the ending at some point because im not happy with it yet, but it's 1am and ive been trying to write this for like a solid 24 hours so. hope someone likes this at least!!
> 
> i like nonbinary/agender/genderfluid lena personally (gender is fake and also fuck you) but i wanted to play with this idea too. lmk if yall like it, or have any other ideas for trans characters!
> 
> btw webby is 100% a trans girl in this, it just doesnt come up

Webby swung her legs back and forth and let them hit the couch with quiet 'thud, thud, thudthud's. She gazed up at Lena--or, of course, Shadow Lena--who was projected across the wall behind her. The light from the muted TV was just enough for Lena to be seen without disturbing the others, who had fallen asleep on the couch rather quickly after returning home.

Magica was gone, and Lena had almost been gone as well. Webby almost couldn't handle the thought of just how close she had been to losing Lena. What would she have done, if Lena had never come back? She wasn't sure. She had a family now, at least, one beyond just her and her granny, but it just. Wasn't the same without Lena. Even the boys, heck, even Scrooge had agreed, when they talked about it on the ride home. It wouldn't have been the same.

But, it didn't matter. Lena was there now, and she had promised Webby she wasn't going anywhere. They were going to get her body back, and then Lena was going to sleep in the room down the hall from Webby, and they were going to go to the same school, and they were going to talk about boys--or girls--together, and--

"Webby?"

Webby realized she had been staring at Lena and she smiled. Lena looked concerned (as concerned as a shadow could look, which was surprisingly concerned) but Webby only shook her head. "I'm glad you're still here, Lena."

Lena's expression was blank for a moment before she smiled softly. "Yeah, me too."

"Is something wrong?" Webby frowned. Lena didn't seem as enthusiastic as before, but maybe that was part of being a shadow. Or maybe because it was almost 5am. Oh, the sun would come up soon. She wondered if Lena would watch it come up with her. 

Lena was quiet for a moment and glanced over at the others. It was amazing how all of them had managed to fit on the couch, let alone find comfortable positions to sleep in. But they had, even if it meant Launchpad and Donald were covered in small children and Scrooge. Lena smiled again before her face went back to her neutral expression.

"It's... It's not that something's wrong, but I was wondering if..." Webby was quiet as she let Lena finish. As much as she wanted to know, immediately, what was wrong, she also knew that almost every word Lena spoke from now on was unexpected. Her whole life--and, surely, she was alive--was unwritten and unknown and a surprise. Webby didn't want to rush her.

"A couple years ago," Lena whispered despite the fact that Webby was the only one that could hear her (even if the others weren't asleep), "I... Well, I guess about five years ago is when I started being  _me._ " Webby nodded. "I started acting more individual, sometimes. It was kind of slow, really. But--But after about a year of starting to act on my own, I--"

Her voice cut off and wavered with fear, and Webby wanted to cry. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay." She turned around to face the wall, careful not to accidentally fall backwards or wake up her Granny. She didn't know shadows could cry, and honestly hadn't wanted to know. But surely the sound Lena made was a sob, and it made Webby's hands itch. And itch that only punching Magica in the face could scratch.

Lena smiled a bit. It was still sad, but Webby could tell Lena believed her. "Thank you. I told Au--I told Magica something, and she didn't like it. She didn't like me for it. I mean, I guess she didn't like me from the beginning, y'know, but still, it didn't help matters any." Lena sighed, surely more of a habit than reflecting a need for air. "Ever since then I've just. Tried to be what she wanted to be, while also being me. Like befriending you. Meeting you was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and she tolerated it because it fit in with her plan."

Before Lena could say anything else Webby held up a hand. "If you apologize again, I'm going to find out how to give a shadow a noogie."

Lena obviously took the threat seriously, since she didn't respond.

"But for real, Lena, you're my best friend. I mean it, okay? We both knew we were friends long before this. I know you don't really believe it was all Magica's plan." She crossed her arms. "And that means you can tell me anything. I'm not like her. And I want to know the real you. The real, alive, Best Friends British Sisters you."

For a moment, Lena was quiet. Her eyes looked around the room slowly as she seemed to ponder what to say. It made Webby's heart ache, because the Lena she knew before would never hesitate to say what was on her mind. And yet here they were, sitting in silence so loud it made Webby's ears ring. She wanted those loud conversations back. The confidence and rebellion that Lena seemed to bring into a room. But, she knew it wouldn't be that easy. Lena wasn't going to recover overnight. All Webby could do was be there for her.

"What if it means we aren't British Sisters?" Webby had to process that sentence for a moment, and she frowned when Lena continued, "What if--What if we were British Siblings instead?"

Webby opened her mouth to speak, having caught on to what Lena had said, but Lena suddenly found her inspiration again. The shadow grew in size, something Webby had already learned meant Lena's presence was more powerful, and spoke again.

"A couple of years ago, I told Magica that I wanted to be a boy. She  _freaked._ " Webby winced, certain she could imagine the reaction, "She never let me talk about it again. I tried to get her to call me a different name, and even got other people we met to do it, but she always managed to ruin it. She always made me feel... Bad. Gross, I guess."

Lena's shadow shrunk back down so that it was almost at Webby's eye level, like Lena was peaking over the couch. Her eyes were sad, and Webby smiled.

"That's okay here. I promise. You're not bad or gross."

Lena's eyes closed for a moment. "I just... I like being British Sisters with you. I don't want that to change."

"It won't. We're just British Siblings now, it's not a big deal, I promise." Webby moved to her knees and leaned against the back of the couch so that her and Lena were face-to-face. "What did you tell Magica to call you? What's your name?"

"It's--It's really hard, for me. To like, understand everything that's going on. I've never interacted with people this much before, and I've never known what it's like to not be instantly made fun of for something I say." The last part had a bitter tone, and Webby actually smiled at it. She wanted her friend to understand that she didn't deserve to be treated the way she had been. "So I... I'm not sure I want to be anything but Lena, yet. For now. Just because there's so much else going on, and the others..."

Lena glanced to the side at where the others were still sleeping. If Webby had faith in them, so did she, but that didn't mean she was ready for them to know. And she was being honest when she said that anything else would be too much for her. At least until she got used to being treated with, like, common decency.

"They'll love you too." Webby said softly, "But I understand what you mean. No one else has to know yet. It's been a long day, anyways." She leaned back onto the couch and laid against her Granny. "We can talk about it more in the morning, m'kay?"

Lena chuckled, possibly because it was already morning, but nodded. "Sure thing, Webbs. Get some sleep." It would give her time to really think about what she wanted, if she was serious about what she thought before. She had plenty of time to figure it out now, at least, especially with Webby by her side.

"G'night, Lena."

"...Cole. Just between us, okay?"

Webby grinned and closed her eyes. "G'night, Cole."

Cole was pretty sure Webby was asleep by the time she closed her eyes, but he smiled and responded anyways. "Night, Sis."


End file.
